This 1996 adaptation of Jane Austen's Persuasion ranks among the top five film adaptations of Austen novels, along with Pride and Prejudice (1996), Sense and Sensibility (1995), and the two fine 1996 versions of Emma, from Miramax (see Review) and A&E (see Review) respectively. Persuasion was a co-production of the BBC along with WGBH in Boston and Sony, among others, and was initially showcased on Masterpiece Theatre. The production values are impeccable, making Persuasion one of the most perfect visual interpretations of Austen's work.

Historical Background: Jane Austen, born in 1775 in Steventon, England, was one of seven children of an educated man – a rector – which ensured her access to books from an early age. She wrote her first novel when she was just twenty-one, but it was her practice to rework and refine her material continually. That first novel, for example, called Elinor and Marianne, written in 1796, was finally published as Sense and Sensibility (1811). Austen did not have the luxury of reworking Persuasion. It was her last novel, written hurriedly in a race against declining health, and it was published posthumously in 1818. Even without the opportunity to fuss over refinement of this final work, Austen's genius prevailed in what many consider to be among her finest novels. Austen's oeuvre combines a proto-feminism and an understanding of psychology that was well ahead of her time with an incomparable expressiveness through prose. Austen was a keen observer of the customs of her time and place. Her novels teach us about the human condition through the depth of her insights into human nature. She has also given us some of the most memorable and eternal female characters in the model of independent and strong-willed young women. Progressive parents looking for superb role models for the education of their daughters need look no further than the likes of Elizabeth Bennett or Anne Elliott.

The Story: It is 1814 in England and the seamen are returning from service against Napoleon, who has now been shipped off to Elba. Admiral Croft (John Woodvine) congratulates the sailors and announces that they can now return home to their families and loved ones. Among the happy officers is the Admiral's brother-in-law, Captain Wentworth (Ciaran Hinds). Meanwhile, elsewhere, Sir Walter Elliot (Corin Redgrave) is in a less enviable position. Sir Walter has spent beyond his means for many years and his attorney, Mr. Shepherd, is valiantly fending off creditors, who demand payment. Sir Walter is a widower with three adult daughters, of whom only the youngest is married. His deceased wife's former best friend, Lady Russell (Susan Fleetwood), who has played something of a surrogate mother for the daughters as they were growing up, advises Sir Walter that he must undertake some "economies." Sir Walter is proud but foolish and determined to maintain the appearances required of his station in life, but he is finally imposed upon to "retrench" by renting out their estate, Kellynch Hall, so he can move to an apartment in Bath and continue to play at being a gentleman.

Sir Walter's eldest daughter, Elizabeth (Phoebe Nicholls), is a chip off the old block, every bit as proud and superfluous as her father, and no more frugal. The middle daughter, Anne (Amanda Root), is the only one in the family with any sense. She is quiet, but observant and intelligent, good-hearted and sensible. She is neither plain nor especially attractive – just average looking except for a lovely pair of sparkling eyes. Anne is twenty-seven and at risk of being an eternal spinster, since she presently has neither suitors nor prospects. Anne had once had a suitor – a young naval officer when she was just eighteen – but she turned him down upon the well-meaning but misguided advice of Lady Russell, who doubted his prospects. The man was the same Frederick Wentworth who has now just returned from war as a captain, made wealthy by the spoils of war. Anne has regretted these eight years having turned him down, even without any knowledge of his success. Anne's relationship with Wentworth had been conducted so discretely that none of Anne's family even knows that an offer of marriage was extended and refused. Kellynch Hall is rented out to Admiral Croft, who Anne learns is married to Captain Wentworth's sister, Sophia (Fiona Shaw).

When Sir Walter and Elizabeth depart for Bath, it is left to Anne to ready the house for rental. She also is to pay a visit to her younger sister, Mary (Sophie Thompson), who is married to Charles Musgrove (Simon Russell Beale). Mary is something of a hypochondriac and whiner, in perpetual convalescence. "I'm very, very ill," she moans, as she stuffs her mouth full of cake. Charles had proposed to Anne, years ago, before settling on Mary. Charles's parents, Mr. (Roger Hammond) and Mrs. (Judy Cornwell) Musgrove, would very much have preferred Anne as their daughter-in-law to the self-absorbed Mary, so Anne is an especially welcome guest. Anne would also have been the choice of Charles's sisters, Louisa (Emma Roberts) and Henrietta (Victoria Hamilton). Anne is thrown off kilter during her visit with the Musgroves by the news that Admiral Croft and his wife and brother-in-law will be paying a visit. When Wentworth arrives, there is a remarkable shot where the camera zooms in on Anne tightly gripping her chair, so as to retain her composure.

None but Anne and Wentworth are aware of their former relationship and the Musgroves all have an agenda contrary to Anne's interests. It is well known that Wentworth plans to settle down and take a wife and Louisa and Henrietta are both young ladies in the flower of womanhood. The ever-insensitive Mary reports to Anne that Wentworth had commented, during a walk, that he would hardly have recognized Anne because she was "so altered." Anne reasons that Wentworth could have no continuing admiration for herself, especially with two much younger and livelier choices available. When one of the young children of Charles and Mary is injured, Anne agrees to stay behind from the evening's entertainment to nurse the boy, since Mary has neither patience nor interest in maternal care giving. Anne imagines that she will at least be spared the pain of watching Wentworth court Louisa or Henrietta.

Anne does not get off so easily, however, because the group plans an excursion to Lyme Regis, where Frederick plans to visit an old shipmate, Captain Benwick. Benwick is a morose man, suffering from a broken heart due to the death of his beloved fiancée. He is a literate man, but it doesn't much help that he feeds his depression with tragic poetry and nihilistic prose. Frederick forewarns his companions of his friend's condition, saying, "A man does not recover from such a devotion to such a woman, he ought not, he does not." We naturally wonder if Frederick is speaking from personal experience. As they visit, Anne takes Benwick aside and offers him words of comfort and sound advice, suggesting, for example, some more upbeat literature that he might try instead. Despite being occupied with the younger ladies, Frederick can't help but observe Anne's gentle touch with his friend. Louisa and Henrietta are good-hearted young ladies, but nowhere near Anne's equal in intellect or character. Louisa, however, has begun to infer an implicit obligation on Wentworth's part, from his flirtations with her.

As they are strolling seaside, Louisa takes to showing off, forcing Frederick to catch her as she jumps from the steps on the seawall. Finally, she gets carried away, jumping from the top of the seawall, knocking herself unconscious. Charles, Henrietta, and Frederick are all in a panic, but Anne deftly takes control, ordering Charles and Frederick into constructive activities. Louisa's concussion is serious and Frederick must stay by her side as she recovers, thus effectively separating him from Anne once again. Anne can only rejoin her family in Bath.

In Bath, Anne acquires an unexpected suitor in the form of her cousin William Elliott (Samuel West), a disingenuous man but a suave seducer. He correctly judges Anne's disinterest in the superficiality of social conventions and feigns a similar disposition. Anne is initially flattered by William's attentions. In response to his rapid assumption of familiarity, Anne says to him, "You presume to know me," to which he responds, "In my heart, I know you intimately." Good old sensible Anne finds a way to check out William's bone fides and discovers his repulsive nature, in the nick of time. Unfortunately, William presents another kind of problem when Frederick turns up in Bath, having broken it off with Louisa and intent on assessing his chances with Anne. Frederick and Anne meet by accident in a shop during a rainstorm and Frederick gallantly offers Anne his umbrella, but William shows up inconveniently, wrecking another opportunity for them.

I won't reveal how the story is resolved except to add that a letter from Wentworth to Anne plays a major role. Austen was a master at composing letters as plot devices and this one is generally regarded as the second best in the Austen novels, after Darcy's famous letter to Elizabeth Bennet in Pride and Prejudice. The scene in which Frederick composes the letter and Anne subsequently opens and reads it achieves dramatic perfection.

Themes: On one level, Persuasion can be viewed as a retelling of the Cinderella story, complete with the sincere, selfless, and sensible heroine, the unreliable and foolhardy father, the malevolent sisters, and the prince charming. There's even a fairy godmother, except this one gives bad advice. It is a magnificent retelling of the story that adds Austen's unique wit, exceptional dialog, and characterization of human frailties in the genteel world of Regency society. The chief difference between the story of Persuasion and the Cinderella fairytale is that the heroin of Persuasion is more mature, less beautiful, at risk of eternal spinsterhood, and pained by the remorse of having already once rejected her Prince Charming. One of the central themes of Persuasion is the issue of romantic longing and missed opportunity. Anne bears some responsibility for her own unhappiness and love-lost. Now she must overcome not only societal conventions arrayed against her but her own reserved and cautious nature and the emotional scar that she previously inflicted on her Prince Charming by rejecting his offer. We wonder if Wentworth can recognize that his repressed resentment toward Anne reveals a continuing love for her?

The other central theme is biting social satire aimed at the pre-Victorian social structure that inhibited open expressions of friendship or love in preference for empty formalities. Emotions had to be held in check at all times. Marriage, in this social scheme, gave women license to talk, while single women were expected to remain silent. Austen uses the superficiality of several of the secondary characters (notably Sir Walter and Anne's two sisters), to elicit our admiration for the honest if reserved emotions of the central characters. At the same time, the story derives comic relief from the pretension, shallowness, and duplicity of the secondary characters and the society at large. The two main themes interact with one another, since the implicit restrictions on single women expressing themselves directly limits Anne's capacity to rekindle the embers of romance with Captain Wentworth.

A third incidental theme tackled by Austen in Persuasion is the question of constancy. Are women or men more fickle in their love? One thinks of such classic observations on the topic as the following ones from W.S. Gilbert and Giuseppe Verdi, respectively:

Rose Maybud:
Ten minutes since my heart said, "white" –
It now says "black."
It then said "left" – it now says "right" –
Hearts often tack.
It must obey its latest strain –
You tell me so.
But should it change its mind again,
I'll let you know.

W.S. Gilbert: Ruddigore

Then this, from Verdi: Donna e mobile

Woman is Fickle,
a feather to the wind,
no orator or thinker.
She always wears a kind, lovely countenance,
be it weeping or laughing,
it is always lying.

Austen's argument in response is devastating in its simplicity. All the authors who have argued that women are more fickle have been men! Austen claims for her gender the capacity for "loving longest when all hope is gone."

Production Values: On one level, viewers familiar with Austen will know in advance the ultimate outcome of an Austin story: love will have its way! The joy, however, is in the journey and Austen creates such palpable tension along the way that we seldom concern ourselves with looking ahead to an outcome.

Persuasion is the rare instance of an adaptation of a great novel that remains largely faithful to the original while also achieving a genuinely cinematic expression. The scriptwriter, Nick Dear, and director, Roger Mitchell, seem to have understood that the genius of an Austen story will triumph if one is patient in its telling. Mitchell and Dear capture not only the literal story but also the mood and atmosphere of the novel. The script manifests real interest in the themes of the novel and its magnificent characters and resists pandering to the simplicity required by international mass audiences.

The sets (by William Dudley) and elaborate costumes (Alexandra Byrne) are gorgeous and authentic without being so showy as to overwhelm the story – as happens in some period pieces. John Daly, the cinematographer, uses a lot of close-ups for the indoor scenes, insuring an intimacy appropriate to the subject matter. There are a lot of reaction shots where we closely observe the face of someone other than the person who is doing the speaking at the moment. This was an important tactic, since the main character, Anne, is more of an observer than a mover. Daly makes exceptional use of variations in lighting, using dark interiors to convey sadness or depression but warm candlelight for nostalgia or hopefulness. The music composed by Jeremy Sams is appropriate to the period and features a lot of harpsichord.

This being a love story, the success of the film hinges first and foremost on the two principals, Amanda Root and Ciaran Hinds. Sadly, American viewers have been trained by Hollywood to expect that all movies, especially romances, should be exclusively about physically gorgeous individuals. In fact, the American distributor for the film actually replaced the picture of the two stars on the cover of the VHS version with more glamorous models so as "to make it a little more seductive to us over here," according to the spokeswoman for Columbia Tristar. It is to the credit of the casting team for Persuasion that they chose actors whose appearance was consistent with what was intended in the novel. Amanda Root is no glamour queen but her big eyes sparkle with warmth and intelligence and she projects an inner quality of beauty. Both Root and Hinds are superb at projecting emotions through their eyes and face. Root gives us a character that seems real and possessed of charm, dignity, and determination. Hinds was equally effective in a slightly more limited role, effectively revealing Frederick's inner struggles. Instead of polished mannequins, Persuasion gives us real makeup-free faces. Amanda Root appeared in Mortimer's Law (1998) and has also played Fanny Price in a BBC radio version of Austen's Mansfield Park. Hinds has appeared in The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover (1989), Oscar and Lucinda (1997), Road to Perdition (2002), and The Sum of All Fears (2002).

All of the performers were drawn from the Royal Shakespearean Company and none disappointed. Corin Redgrave was excellent as the snobbish Sir Walter and Phoebe Nicholls also shined as the elder sister Elizabeth. Nicholls's other work includes Brideshead Revisited (1981) and Maurice (1987). Also excellent as the Crofts were John Woodvine (Wuthering Heights (1992) and Hornblower: The Duchess and the Devil (1999)) and Fiona Shaw (Jane Eyre (1996) and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001)). Susan Fleetwood, who played Lady Russell, died recently. She worked in Heat and Dust (1983) and The Sacrifice (1986). Samuel West was outstanding as the miserable William Elliott. He had worked in Howards End (1992) and Carrington (1995). Among the secondary cast, however, I award my top kudos to Sophie Thompson (who is sister of Emma Thompson), who was highly entertaining as the hypochondriac, Mary. Sophie also appeared as Miss Bates in Emma (1996).

Bottom-Line: I can't recommend this film too strongly, especially for those of you with a literary bent. This is a beautiful romance with rich dialog and multiple well-developed characters. Anne Elliott is the kind of woman that sensible men should want to marry but too few men are sensible enough to choose. Persuasion has no content that would render it inappropriate for children of any age. Adolescents or younger children who are already avid readers will likely enjoy this film, but the average pre-teen will be put-off by the film's lack of "action." The film is in English and has a running time of 104 minutes.

Recommended:
Yes

Video Occasion: Good Date Movie
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 9 - 12